Full Breakdown
Initiate Announces EP “With Love // With Rage” via Blue Grape Music
7/10/2026, 6:15:53 PM
Announcement and Release Details
Melodic-hardcore band Initiate has signed with Blue Grape Music and will issue a five-song EP titled With Love // With Rage on August 7. The release marks the group’s first project on the new label and is supported by the lead single “Numb The Pain,” which premiered with a music video directed by Bella Petro. The EP’s track listing is: 1. Burn After Reading ; 2. Delusions ; 3. Shadowboxing ; 4. Numb The Pain ; 5. Future Saving Grace.
Creative Themes – Official Summary
Vocalist Crystal Pak describes the EP as a collection of “letters” addressed to friends, herself, or others, each signed either “With Love” or “With Rage.” She says the songs explore opposing emotions while retaining the band’s core hardcore sensibility. Pak notes that the material expands Initiate’s sound through “melodic softness and acoustic elements,” aiming for a more personal, reflective tone rather than a conventional rallying cry.
2026 Tour Schedule
Following the release, Initiate will embark on an extensive U.S. and Canadian run, including multiple Warped Tour stops, the Purple City Music Festival, The Fest, and a late-year support slot with Senses Fail (celebrating the 20th anniversary of *Still Searching*) alongside Koyo. Selected dates:
- 07/25–07/26 – Long Beach, CA @ Warped Tour
- 08/21–08/22 – Montreal, QC @ Warped Tour
- 09/11–09/13 – Edmonton, AB @ Purple City Music Festival
- 10/23–10/25 – Gainesville, FL @ The Fest
- 11/14–12/18 – Nationwide tour dates ending with shows in Chicago, IL; Boston, MA; Philadelphia, PA; and Brooklyn, NY, all with Senses Fail and Koyo.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Discussing the track, vocalist Crystal Pak explained: “The song starts off with a callback to our last single, ‘Alone At the Bottom,’ showcasing the ebbs and flows that life can throw at you.” — Crystal Pak
- “Where much of hardcore leans into anthems of brotherhood and sisterhood, this track still embraces those themes, but frames them through a more introspective lens.” — Crystal Pak
- “The addition of melodic softness and acoustic elements makes it clear from the outset that this is meant to land differently — not as a rallying cry, but as something more personal and reflective.” — Crystal Pak
- “’ I intentionally wrote these songs, so they spoke to these two opposing feelings: Love and rage.” — Crystal Pak
